Is this Sharia?We read and hear schools being demolished, buildings and people blown up, barber shops ransacked etc. etc. the list is endless. Is this any way of implementing The Sharia?
Does Sharia condone violence? Can they do this say in Saudi Arabia - a system they want to emulate? Is Saudi system Sharia? You ask the experts they have an emphatic 'no' as the answer.
Firstly there is no Kingship in Islam and secondly inhuman laws are not allowed and the Saudi system is full of it. You can fill hundreds of pages if you start enumerating the bad laws there. So just count out the Saudi model.
So is there a Sharia System you can emulate in modern times? I at least do not see a single system in our times that could closely resemble The Sharia Law System. You will be surprised to learn that the closest that comes is Pakistan. Islamists will argue. They may.
What does Islam say about who will govern? It says "The most 'Muthaquee' Pious God fearing" among you shall govern. Now who determines it? Show me one single person who can confirm to this creterion. A very difficult thing in these times. Considering the difficulty in the choice we adopted the democratic system with a constitution.
It is the only country in which Sharia is the source of all laws. Besides what are those laws that are in contradiction with Islam? Is there a study? If so where is it? There are so many contentious issues. The Saudi system is ruled out. Till now they were promoting Salafism that rejects the four jurisprudence systems (Fiqh) followed and evolved over 1,400 years by The Muslim World. After a few decades it has failed totally.
Only now they are moving away, on the directives of King Abdullah and recognise not four but six Fiqhs namely Hanafi, Shafei, Maliki, Hanbali, Jafaria (Shia) and Zaidi (Yemeni Shia). What is the other Sharia are they talking aobut? Sharia is already there. So far Fiqh is concerned this is no problem, we have the width, latitude and tolerance to accept all the fiqhs. And it is in vogue.
But what do we do for the laws in general? If there are some contradictions then let there be a body to study it and its recommendations implemented. Personal Law is no problem you adjudicate as per an agreed Fiqh. Are we not following it? We are. So we are following the Sharia any ways. Inheritance, we are following The Sharia. Where are we not following Sharia? May be traffic rules?
Even if we are not, does it justify violence? Does it justify killing? Does it justify force? All this seems very wild. Is our Islam based on an orderly system and reasoning or anarchy and fascism? Is it a civilised affair or a wild affair? The fact is Islam gave the world values and civilisation. How come we are being now perceived as unthinking terrorists and barbarians.
It is a huge dis-service these people are doing by depicting Islam as the fountainhead of terrorism while reverse is the case with Islam and The Muslim history. Contrary to the Western propaganda Islam never spread with sword unlike Christianity.
It spread with the appeal of The Onenesss of God (Wahdath) and life, character, personality and practices (Seerath) of the great prophet.
The propagators never used bad language leave alone force or violence. When they have not done this with non-Muslims who are we to force Muslims to do this and that. I for one would hate it if something is thrust on me by force.
The issue of Sharia is a binding force not a divisive.
